The Next Day
by Creature Of The Nite
Summary: This is what happened the day after "Countdown to Destruction". Cassie and The Phantom Ranger. Zordon is reincarnated. Bulk and Skull explain their bravery. TJ reunites with an old friend. Andros, Karone, Zhane, and Ashley go to the beach. One Shot


Onboard the Dark Fortress…

/

"Andros, listen to me," Zordon said, "It is your duty as a power ranger to save the universe. Now is the time!"

Andros knew what he had to do.

"Hurrr!" Andros swung his Spiral Saber around, preparing to strike

"No!" Ecliptor yelled

The Saber collided with Zordon's energy tube, rupturing its energy containment field. Zordon had designed the Spiral Saber to be the only thing capable of destroying a live energy tube, and had trusted Andros with it knowing he was the only one who was unable to be corrupted. Zordon observed his impending doom, knowing he had made the right choice.

/

Foom!

/

The energy tube released all of Zordon's repressed power, and it began purifying all evil. Ecliptor received the full blast of it, turning him into dust. Throughout the universe, it happened. The Phantom Ranger and the Blue Senturion saw a flash of light, and they were free from the Machine Empire. Rita Repulsa uttered one last cry for help:

"Help me Zeddy, don't let it get me!"

Zedd tried to think of a way to save her, and it was that tiny ounce of goodness that spared his life. In hers and Zedd's place was a young couple, very much in love. The Gold Ranger looked at them, bewildered.

"Want to dance?" Zedd asked, grinning

/

Divatox ran cowardly from the Z-wave, but wasn't fast enough. However, the beam did an excellent job purifying her. She sat on the ground with her long brown hair and white dress.

"I'm gorgeous!" she squealed, "I'm alive! Alive!"

/

On earth, the Quantrons and Elgar weren't so lucky.

"Auur!" Elgar yelled

Shhhhhh…dust. The space rangers were de-morphed in front of everyone, but now it didn't matter…

/

Later that day, at the Surf Spot…

/

"To the heroes of the earth," Lt. Stone held up his mug of beer, "to the power rangers!"

"To the power rangers!" everyone said, holding up their drinks

Ashley, Cassie, TJ, Carlos, Andros, and Zhane sat at the bar, looking very happy. Then Andros stood up.

"To Zordon, if it wasn't for him, this party wouldn't be possible," he said

The other people didn't know who Zordon was, but they presumed he was a good guy.

"To Zordon!" they held up their drinks

/

On the ruins of the Command Center, the next week…

/

The Command Center was in the middle of the desert, where no one really cared about. It was in the same state it was after Divatox and her Piranhatrons had gotten to it. Suddenly, a storm cloud formed above the ruins, and struck it with lightning repeatedly. The strikes got worse every time, and finally, they reached their target; they struck the Command Center core, giving it significant power to repair itself. The walls built back up just like before, but on the inside, it changed. Instead of the viewing globe, energy tubes, Zord controls, and ancient weapons, it had couches, TVs, kitchens, the kind of things that would be in a proper home. Once the rebuilding was complete, lightning struck just outside the front door, which was now oak with a tumbler lock. Where the lightning struck, a man appeared; he was about thirty years old, and clad in a leather jacket and jeans.

"What the…!" the man said, with an incredibly deep voice, "I'm alive! But how? I should be…!"

The man ran his hands over his head.

"I have hair! Long, golden, hair…and hands!" he grinned, "and legs, feet! I can move!"

The man did a few fight moves; a spinning kick, a karate chop, and a right hook. They came to him naturally.

"Zordon…" came an eerie growl

The man who was Zordon looked up, and saw a very old man in a black cloak standing in front of him.

"Master Regnar," Zordon knelt before him, "it has been a long time."

"Zordon, you have devoted your entire life to saving the universe," Master Regnar said, "You have never had time for yourself. So now, we have granted you another life, one which you can be allowed to enjoy."

"Thank you, sir!" Zordon exclaimed, "so…what will I do now?"

Master Regnar sighed.

"Zordon, you've spent the past ten thousand years teaching teenagers; you should know the best places in the galaxy to go for fun…"

"I can think of a few places," Zordon grinned

/

The Surf Spot, the next morning…

/

Outside, Zordon stepped off his Harley Davidson motorcycle. It had been in the area of the Command Center where the shark-cycles used to be, along with several other cool vehicles.

"Hey man, nice bike!" someone said

"Thanks…" Zordon studied the guy's build, "you aren't by any chance a Mr.…Bulk?"

"That's me," he said, "Farcas Bulkmeier. This is my buddy, Skull."

"Hi," Skull gave Zordon a small wave

"My name is Zor…" Zordon stopped mid-sentence, "Gordon. I'm Gordon."

"Hello, Gordon."

/

'Gordon' walked inside, and had a seat at the bar.

"Can I get a hamburger and fries?" Gordon had heard his Rangers mention the delicacy several times, "and a…coke?"

"Of course, hon," Adele said, "it'll be just a minute."

She gave him his coke, and Gordon drank it. He gagged on the sweet taste; he had not ingested anything for quite a while.

"Too strong?" someone asked

Gordon turned to the voice, and saw a beautiful brunette in a white skirt and blouse drinking a strawberry milkshake.

"Not used to the taste," he explained, "haven't seen you in here before. Are you new in town?"

"I just arrived last night," the girl replied, "Got away from what was basically a military conflict in a jungle. I'm Diva…Diana Vatox."

"I'm Gordon," he said, "Can I buy you another milkshake?"

"I'd like that."

/

In the park…

/

Cassie sat alone on the bench in the park, stroking her dog, Jetson.

"It's not fair," she said, "Ashley has Andros, Karone has Zhane…who do I have?"

Jetson let out a low whine, and turned away from Cassie.

"I'm sorry boy," Cassie said quickly, "it's just I want someone, someone like him…"

She reached into her pocket, and took out a handwritten note, one that the Phantom Ranger had given her.

"Hi," said a voice

Cassie turned around, and saw a sandy-haired man with glasses standing behind her.

"Hello," Cassie said, studying his face, "Do I know you?"

"I'm Billy Cranston," he said, "but you know me as…"

Billy crossed his arms, and disappeared. Cassie gasped.

"Phantom Ranger!"

He reappeared.

"In the flesh," he said triumphantly

Cassie hugged him.

"I kind of expected you to be badly scarred or something," Cassie confessed, "or at least alien."

"I learned from my Sensei on Aquitar that anonymity and mystery are the greatest weapons a warrior can wield," Billy explained, "So, how about we go grab a coffee?"

"Cool."

"Morphenomenal," Billy grinned

He realized what he had just said.

"Now I realize why Tommy doesn't let me say that…" he muttered

/

Bulk and Skull sat on the other side of the park, talking to a kid's soccer team.

"And then I said 'I am the red ranger!" Bulk grinned

The kids were in awe.

"What would you have done if they didn't believe you?" Justin Stewart asked

"Oh, well…"

Bulk reached into his backpack, and took out a power morpher.

"I would have tricked them into thinking I was going to morph," Bulk explained, "this is one I got from my friend Jason, he left it in his locker after he moved to Switzerland. I should probably mail it to him sometime."

"What's morph?" one of the kids asked

"Everyone knows that right before the power rangers appear, they yell it's morphing time," Skull interrupted, "so we figure if we say the same thing, then they'll think we're rangers."

"How did you guys know it would work?" Carlos, the coach asked

"I use it whenever someone tries to take my wallet on the subway," Bulk continued, "works like a charm."

"Well, most of the time," Skull said, "sometimes it makes them angry."

"Skull, you yelled 'white power' in a ghetto neighborhood," Bulk reminded

"I meant to say white power ranger'!" Skull moaned, "I was nervous!"

"I know…" Bulk said, remembering how funny it was, "but enough about our war stories; Carlos, you got any good stories about being a ranger?"

"Well…" Carlos thought for a moment, "so get this, we're fighting the psycho rangers…"

/

The Beach…

/

Andros and Ashley were taking a well deserved vacation.

"What do you call that?" Andros asked

"It's a bikini," Ashley replied, "do you like it?"

"Ashley, seeing you in that bikini makes up for having to destroy Zordon and almost losing my sister," Andros replied

"Watch it!" Karone punched him on the shoulder playfully

"And you…" Andros got up, "I'm never letting you out of my sight, not for a moment. Anyone could grab you like Darkonda did…"

"Hiyo!" came a yell

Zhane ran across the beach, and lifted Karone up. She laughed.

"Put me down! Put me down!" she giggled

/

Suburban Angel Grove…

/

TJ sat on the curb of his street, eating Doritos. He had taken Zordon's death pretty hard, feeling as if it was his fault. He blamed his leadership skills on the destruction of the Turbo zords and Zordon's capture; now, he had blood on his hands.

"You Theodore Jarvis Johnson?" someone asked

TJ looked up.

"Who wants to know?" he asked

"Got a delivery for you. Sign here."

TJ signed the delivery man's form, and the man went to his truck. A rather large wooden crate slid out the back and onto the road.

"What is that?" TJ asked

"Hold on…"

The delivery man placed a crowbar on the crate, and opened it up. The wooden panels fell aside, revealing the Lightning Cruiser.

"Wow…" breathed the delivery man

TJ leapt up.

"No way!" he grinned, "oh my gosh! This is awesome! I thought you were gone!"

He ran over to the car, jumping up and yelling for joy.

"Amazing!"

The Lightning Cruiser's lights flashed, and it gently rocked with excitement. TJ got into the front seat, and buckled his seatbelt.

"Lightning Cruiser, where do you want to go?"

The Cruiser said something in its language of honks and beeps.

"I've always wanted to go there," TJ grinned

Suddenly, the glove compartment opened, revealing his Turbo morpher.

"It survived," TJ grinned, "maybe I'm not the worst leader in the world…"

He closed his door and rolled down the window, handing the delivery man a fifty dollar bill.

"Thanks buddy," the guy said

"Enjoy it!" TJ yelled, "Lightning Cruiser away!"

/

TJ sped away, going so fast he was almost impossible to see. He reached to the morpher, and slid it onto his wrist.

"Shift into turbo!" he grinned

He made the arm signals, and then morphed; it felt good to be back in classic red.

/

The Command Center…

/

Gordon and Diana sat on the couch in the room that had been the Power Chamber, making out.

"I forgot how good it was to have lips," Gordon grinned

"What?" Diana asked

"Urm, to kiss," Gordon said quickly, "I forgot how good it was to kiss."

"I'll make sure you remember," Diana smiled

Suddenly, the ground began shaking, and Gordon sat bolt upright.

"What was that?" he asked

"I don't know," Diana said

"Alpha, the viewing globe…" Gordon stopped mid-sentence. That was another lifetime, "I mean, Diana, the plasma screen TV."

Gordon switched it on (he got a real kick out of having fingers) and saw what it was. A meteor had landed in the park, and was giving off a strange red glow.

"Should I go help?" Gordon muttered to himself

Suddenly, on TV the Red Power Ranger appeared, but it wasn't Jason or Rocky. Gordon could tell that two people had morphed with it at the same time and gotten fused together, thus becoming the Amalgam Ranger. Gordon could tell who it was by the sloppy fighting style and slight size difference: Bulk and Skull. As the meteor crumbled into several rock soldiers, the 'Amalgam Ranger' fought them off valiantly, using a weapon that was half axe and half sword.

/

"Bulky, this is awesome," Skull said

"I know, right?"

Skull lashed out at a rock soldier, and broke its arm off.

"Do you think we have a megazord?" Skull asked

"You wanna try?"

"Not until they get really big. I think it's the code."

Bulk head-butted the nearest soldier; he enjoyed being a ranger.

/

"They've got it under control," Gordon said to himself, "Guess I can take that vacation after all…"


End file.
